Ch.113113. Change

“Expensive!”

That was Seo-eun’s first word upon receiving the food.

“Can’t be helped. This is all they have.”

“No, but seriously, 7,000 won for just this? That’s ridiculous.”

Festival price gouging was something no one living in South Korea could claim ignorance of.

But still, 7,000 won for french fries with a tiny dollop of chili sauce was enough to make anyone angry.

“Damn…”

“Even the convenience store is expensive!”

Choi Gang, holding a beer can, wiped his mouth in agreement.

“Where’s the four-can beer special?!”

Suhyeok also lamented his catastrophically thinning wallet, but they had no other options.

Leaving the venue to eat elsewhere was essentially declaring that you’d miss some of the performances.

“W-when this is all over, we can go somewhere to eat.”

Juyeon, who had been reading the room, finally spoke up.

But there was no certainty in her belief.

This wasn’t exactly a bustling neighborhood, so they’d be lucky to find any place open after 9 PM.

“Right. If there’s nothing else, we can always go back to the convenience store.”

At the very least, they had to see the next performance.

One of the brightest stars of this festival.

A band among bands, as they were called.

Essential’s stage was about to unfold.

Even those with no interest in bands knew Essential as a household name.

Their mega-hit “Youth Reversal” was a song that had climbed back up the charts despite not being about youth.

In the band scene, they had set records that might only happen once every few years.

It’s not easy to captivate the mainstream with alternative sounds.

Those who dominate the charts are artists already beloved by too many people.

K-pop idols are like that, as are established ballad singers.

The reality is that it’s hard to find even one band in the top 100.

And in that dark era, the five-member group Essential had emerged.

The 23rd generation had decided to watch Essential’s live performance together.

The members pushed their way to the front row, using Choi Gang’s bulk as a shield.

“Hello, everyone!”

The vocalist with a uniquely light, delicate voice waved to the crowd.

“Wooooooah!”

A massive roar erupted from the audience.

As expected of a rock star.

“It’s getting hot in here. Think you can avoid fainting?”

“Yeeeees!”

“Don’t get carried away and end up in an ambulance! Got it?”

“Yeeeees!”

Judging by the responses, they seemed to be mostly female fans, but there were quite a few gruff male voices mixed in as well.

“Then let’s begin.”

With those words, the lights cut out abruptly.

Suhyeok’s heart began to pound.

A deep reverb sound, creating a cave-like effect, filled the venue.

Was this a song Suhyeok didn’t know?

He didn’t think any of their songs started like this.

Boom. Boom.

The bass drum, slow but powerful.

Boom. Boom.

In the invisible darkness.

The sound coming through while vision was blocked heightened the tension.

Boom. Boom.

-Weeeeeeeeeng

A wah sound suddenly overlaid, like an ambush.

A familiar guitar sound crashed into the unfamiliar intro.

“Wow… wait a second.”

Hana, watching from the side, covered her mouth.

Those who recognized the song were already shouting in excitement.

Something you could only see in person.

A benefit only those watching live could enjoy.

It was the chance to hear a version that had never been released anywhere else.

An additionally arranged version.

Just as idols add slight variations to their performances at year-end music awards, Essential was also delivering a special stage.

“Looking back, youth is…”

The voice was so high-pitched it seemed almost too delicate to be coming from a man.

But there was not a hint of wavering in it.

“Most beautiful in the moment of retrospection.”

“Even if I try to rewrite it”

“That day will never return”

This was usually a section where fans would sing along, but at this moment, no one dared to join in with their song.

A shiver ran through Suhyeok’s body.

The members all watched their performance in a trance.

It wasn’t that the other teams that had performed earlier weren’t good.

They all had to have some talent to be invited, and only those who had already proven themselves could take this stage…

“Running backwards.”

“Saying it’s not too late yet.”

“Oh season with the blue name that never ends.”

“Flowing time, stop.”

Suhyeok sometimes thought:

Isn’t a good performance best appreciated when watching on TV at home, getting your money’s worth?

Being disturbed by people next to you, not being able to see faces clearly due to distance.

If that’s the case, why bother spending so much money to be there in person…

But this settled that debate once and for all.

Live performance.

Fucking awesome.

Essential’s stage had become an unforgettable page in Suhyeok’s heart.

Even after their performance ended, the lingering impression remained, and the members engaged in heated discussion.

“They were seriously amazing.”

“Hah… so that’s what it takes to be number one.”

“Fucking incredible!”

By the time they finished watching the last famous international act after Essential, it was past nine o’clock.

“Should we shower first? Or eat?”

“Food, definitely. There aren’t many restaurants around, and they’ll all be closing soon.”

“Okay, let’s do that.”

Indeed, most places had already closed.

Suhyeok’s group barely managed to get into a restaurant that said they’d be open until 11.

The sound of an old-fashioned fan spinning, characteristic of long-established eateries.

The members all shared their overall impressions of the performances they’d seen today.

“Besides Essential, I think Limitless was my favorite?”

“Limitless was good, but I also liked Golden Flute.”

“But Golden Flute’s name is too tacky. I wouldn’t have named it that if it were me.”

“Huh? Why?”

Since they were on a trip, the members decided they should have some drinks and opened a bottle of soju.

“Cheers!”

When was the last time the five of them drank together like this?

He thought it might have been at the end-of-semester party, but Juyeon wasn’t there then, so it must have been even earlier.

“Suhyeok.”

“Yeah?”

“I want to try copying Essential’s songs.”

“Ah… but that might take some time.”

Essential’s songs required mastering certain techniques before they could be played.

“Wait, wait.”

Hana interrupted the two.

“Juyeon, you’re going to copy songs? With what instrument?”

Hana looked at Suhyeok with a disbelieving expression.

“Guitar.”

“You play guitar? Wait, you don’t even have one.”

“…I bought one with Suhyeok.”

Suhyeok flinched at Hana’s suddenly fierce gaze.

Come on. This is something I’m allowed to do.

[Lee Suhyeok must not teach guitar to Park Juyeon.]

Where on earth was there such a law?

“Hmm… I see… Hey, Juyeon. Don’t learn from that amateur, learn from me.”

Just like with the gym, Hana was naturally trying to separate Suhyeok and Juyeon.

This time, she didn’t even plan to lecture Suhyeok separately.

She just needed to detach Juyeon from Suhyeok.

“…No.”

The atmosphere tensed at the sharp refusal.

Seo-eun, who had been listening to the conversation, felt the need for more soju.

These idiots…

I told them not to do this…

Here we go again…

Ah… Suhyeok…

“Why not?”

“Because I already decided to learn from Suhyeok.”

“I know more theory! Really!”

Hana nodded at Suhyeok, as if telling him to chime in quickly.

“H-Hana does know a bit more.”

“But Suhyeok’s place is closer.”

“What? Don’t tell me you’re having lessons at home?”

Hana’s eyes spun around.

So did Suhyeok’s.

What are you saying?

We practice in the club room, Juyeon.

“No, that’s not it…”

“No, Park Juyeon. Why do you absolutely have to learn from Lee Suhyeok?”

“Because I want to.”

There was no logic or reason.

Juyeon’s statement that she simply wanted to do it left Hana momentarily speechless.

Honestly, it was a bit surprising.

Juyeon wasn’t the type to be stubborn.

She usually accepted things as long as they weren’t too unreasonable.

“Is ‘because I want to’ not a valid reason?”

The precise pronunciation.

Hana gulped down her soju.

“…I guess it is.”

It was true.

Hana had no legitimate grounds to stop her in anger.

If Hana had been Suhyeok’s girlfriend, she could have cut this off easily, but that wasn’t the case.

Besides, hadn’t Suhyeok seriously told her that he wanted to get along well with Juyeon until winter?

What he had emphasized was “the peace of Spirit.”

If Hana were to flip the table here, it would be like getting a “dislike” stamp pressed firmly on her forehead.

Juyeon looked up at Suhyeok again.

“Suhyeok.”

“Y-yeah?”

“I’ll work hard to learn.”

Juyeon smiled brightly.

“Yeah.”

“Next time when we all make songs together, I’ll contribute more opinions too.”

Until now, Juyeon hadn’t been able to offer much input during songwriting.

It was because she had almost no understanding of instruments.

“So in winter, let’s make a song together that’s even better than ‘Dawn is Blue’ or ‘Maze.'”

Juyeon knew the answer Suhyeok wanted.

She also knew this was an offer he couldn’t refuse.

“Okay.”

Who among the members here could tell her not to learn guitar from Suhyeok after that?

“Let’s definitely make a good song together.”

After all, that’s why Suhyeok had joined Spirit in the first place.